Wednesday, March 27, 2013

a day wandering the town.

I don't know about the rest of you but I've got Spring fever. And the weather these days just isn't cooperating. In an effort to pretend that I'm not going stir crazy and channeling my inner Jack Nicholson I've forced myself to leave my cocoon of blankets, hot water bottles and peppermint tea and get out on the town.

Stop one was the Kennedy Center for their Nordic Cool festival highlighting various arts and performances from Scandinavia.

an art installation using hundreds of shirts to form the hull of a ship

And this past weekend I spent the better part of an afternoon wandering through the Mansion on O Street. Five row houses joined together through a series of cobbled together passages, stairways and hidden doors, it is a truly strange place. The owners are affiliated with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame somehow and use the Mansion as a sort of artist's retreat/school though it's also open for tours, treasure hunts, brunch, and more. There's live music (often a drag show) and various events throughout the year. Everything that decorates the building has been donated and is for sale. It's a wild mish mosh of antiques and collectibles and junk, sort of like a ginormous yard sale.

I read about it in this book and thought it sounded like such a fun and crazy place, I was sure it had been made up. But no! If you've got a few hours to kill, I highly recommend a visit.

yes, that's John Lennon's face---projected on the bathroom floor!

1 of 20+ hidden doorways connecting the units, we sort of felt like Nancy Drew! Great fun! (plus, they don't tell you where they are so you have to discover them all for yourselves. We found 6 or 7)

just a tiny sample of some of the stuff for sale/decor

And finally we stopped in for a quick tour of the headquarters of The Society of the Cincinnati a few blocks over. The oldest patriotic organization in the country, it's a hereditary society committed to promoting the education of and appreciation for the nation's struggle for independence. One of the original founding families bequeathed their home which is now used for events and contains vast collections of art and decor from around the world. It was quite the contrast to the yard sale decor we saw on O Street!

What have you been doing to keep busy? Or should we send out the snowplows?!